When choosing chickens for a household farm, it is better to pay attention to those breeds that are meat and egg. They are the most practical. A striking representative of this group is the Adler silver breed of chickens.
Appearance story
For the first time, birds belonging to this breed appeared at the Adler poultry farm located in the Krasnodar Territory of the Federation. Russian
white, white Plymouthrock, New Hampshire, May Day hens were crossed there. Selection work began in 1951, and ended only in 1965. Then the mass increase in the number of this bird began.
If in 1965 there were approximately 46 thousand pieces, then in 1975 - already 110 thousand, and in 1990 - 2 644 thousand. But at the end of the last century their number began to decline rapidly. It is believed that in Russia there are a little more than 1 million goals.
Exterior
Outwardly, the birds stand out with their wide torso. Moreover, they have a round head of medium size, a leaf-shaped straight small crest, a yellow curved beak, and round eyes. Their neck is of medium length, and the earlobes are relatively small and colored red.
Adler silver chickens are distinguished by a straight and wide back, legs of medium length, a small tail and wings pressed to the body. The skeleton of the breed is well developed, quite strong. Their chest is also wide. The plumage of birds is white, it is loose. True, their black blotches are distinguished. Dark terry feathers should be on the wings, tail feathers - on the tail. Also pigtails are painted black.
Features
The Adler breed is considered average in egg production. Chickens produce about 170-190 eggs per year, the mass of each of them usually does not exceed 60 g. Cream egg shell.
Roosters, as producers, are considered active. For every 15-20 chickens, one such representative is sufficient. In the conditions of household plots, they can be kept for 3-4 years. They begin to lay eggs at the age of 6 months.
Silver Adler laying can weigh up to 2.8 kg, roosters can grow up to 3.9 kg. Moreover, the color of the plumage is similar, they differ only in size and shape. At the age of 60 days, hens weigh about 870 grams, and males weigh 1.1 kg. In the first year of laying, you can expect to receive about 200 eggs. In subsequent periods, it decreases slightly and remains at the level of about 170 pieces. In the first month, the eggs are small, but over time their size increases.
By the way, many note that the Adler silver breed of chickens is currently carried better than in the first decades after its breeding. At the same time, the birds begin to grow smaller. This is a natural process, always in small chickens egg production was higher than in large ones.
Conditions of detention
Adler silver chickens are not whimsical to the conditions of feeding and life. The combination of good egg production, meatiness and ease of maintenance makes them one of the best options for breeding in household plots. They tolerate both heat and cold.
But even with their content, it is necessary to take into account a number of features. For example, it is undesirable for chickens to lay their first egg ahead of schedule. This can cause poultry soreness. The ideal period is from 5 to 9 months.
Adults are unpretentious not only for the weather, but also for living conditions. True, if they do not have perches, and they are located on the floor, it is important to make them a litter. Peat is considered the best option - it is suitable due to its excellent absorbent properties.
Good owners should take care that the chickens have the opportunity to "swim" in dry ash or sand. With the help of these so-called "baths" they can get rid of parasites.
Feeding
In order for Adler silver chickens to develop correctly and grow quickly, it is important to choose the right nutrition. It must be correct and balanced. If in summer, free-range birds can receive most of the substances they need, then in the winter, the owners should take care of this.
Many poultry farmers are happy that they have exactly the Adler silver breed of chickens. The reviews of the people who grow them leave no one indifferent to these white layers. After all, they are very gullible. Chickens can easily be trained to peck with their hands and run to the owner at the call. Adult birds need to be fed twice a day.
In their diet should be grains of different varieties. For example, laying hens need wheat and barley. They can also be fed with waste, pumpkin, herbs, potatoes. In small quantities, it is desirable that their diet include shells, chalk and bone meal.
Breeding
To breed this breed without special incubators at home is very difficult. After all, the instinct for hatching eggs is not developed for them, 1 out of 10 chickens passes into hens, but even this does not always happen. Therefore, an incubator should always be at hand. With its help, you can, by the way, get a very high yield of chickens - at the level of 95%. But on average it is about 85%.
But on the other hand, poultry farmers have fewer problems with how to return the brood hen to the main herd.
Hatched chickens must be kept separate from the main stock. The place for them is chosen dry and warm. In good weather, already on the 5th day after hatching, they can be walked on the site.
Conclusion of young
In order to replace the breeding herd, it is advisable to breed new hens no earlier than the end of May. This is evidenced by many of those who grow Adler silver breed of chickens. Reviews indicate that an earlier brood may cause the hens to begin to lay eggs at the age of 4-4.5 months. Such early ripening can adversely affect their health. Indeed, at this age, laying hens are not yet fully developed.
Compliance with the above terms favors the fact that chickens will develop in the most suitable conditions with a natural reduction in daylight hours. Ideally suited for home maintenance, chickens grown in this way. Adler silver breed is physically strong and hardy. But chickens matured ahead of time can suffer from prolapse of the oviduct, in addition, they are more susceptible to various diseases.
Young food
When growing poultry, it is important to follow the established rules. So, only hatched chickens are fed 5, or even 6 times a day, in the first few days. Over time, the number of feedings is reduced to 3-4 times. At this point, the babies should be 4 weeks old.
Poultry under the age of 48 weeks should include corn and wheat. It is also desirable that they consume a significant amount of potatoes, herbs, carrots. In small quantities, they need bone and fish meal, shells, waste and chalk.
Breed specifics
Many do not know, but chickens have a well-developed nervous system. Therefore, a friendly attitude to this bird is the key to its excellent mood, and therefore well-being. All this in the complex contributes to good growth, development, increase productivity of birds.
Separately, many note the behavior of roosters of this breed. They can safely be called gentlemen. When feeding, they cry out for all chickens. They themselves start to peck food only after all the ladies have stopped eating. They also act in cases where they discover something tasty. This is what experts call one of the reasons that roosters of this breed are not much larger than hens.
Also interesting is the fact that they teach chickens to rush. They do this as follows. The rooster itself climbs into the nest and settles in it like a brood hen. After that, he begins to call the hens with a specific “interested” cry. Young growth converges with interest and watches the behavior of the rooster. So silver Adler hens get used to rush exclusively to the nests. They will not lay eggs in the grass, under fences or in other places that are not suitable for this.
Breed crossing
Having received the Adler breed, breeders did not stop there. They found that when crossing chickens with roosters of Rhode Island or New Hampshire, autosex offspring can be obtained. He already at the age of one day can determine sex by color. Future males have light fluff, and chickens - fawn.
This separation contributes to better preservation of chickens and more efficient use of feed. Young birds are more weight-balanced, and this greatly facilitates their processing and subsequent marketing.
Features of meat and egg chickens
Among poultry farmers, those species of birds are considered optimal from which you can get a double benefit. The combination of good egg production with a fairly quick weight gain contributes to the fact that many people engaged in the subsidiary farming choose meat and egg chickens. At the age of two months, they usually weigh about 1 kg. In addition, they are characterized by their unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention and feeding. Although it is desirable that their diet be balanced.
Meat and egg chickens are highly preserved livestock and excellent taste. Nowadays, about 20 different breeds are popular, including Adler silver, Moscow, Poltava clay, Kuchin anniversary. It is important to understand that from each of these hens you can get from 150 to 200 eggs per year.
Meat birds
If you want chickens with a large mass, and egg laying is not important to you, then the adler ones may not suit you. It is better to turn your attention to
large meat breeds. These include hens of brama, kokhinkhiny, langshan. Representatives of these breeds are called classic meat birds. Their homeland is India and China.
They became the breeding base for the creation of new breeds. For example, when they were crossed, the Jersey giant, Plymouth Rocks, Langshan of the English and German type, and many others were bred. Cornish chickens became widespread. A mixture of their two types with plymutrokes allowed to obtain chickens with a huge growth rate, excellent meat qualities combined with low feed costs.
In just 7-8 weeks, chickens reach a weight of 2 kg. This despite the fact that for every kilogram of growth is not more than 3 kg of feed.